First light for PoET: shining (sun)light on exoplanet research

• A team from the Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço successfully concluded the installation of the first solar telescope at ESO’s Paranal Observatory. Designed to support the search for exoplanets, the PoET telescope will study the Sun with unprecedented precision, leading to further understanding how stellar activity influences the detection of worlds beyond our Solar System.

Now that PoET is starting construction, we are organizing the PoET Workshop #2. The main goals are to:

• Present an update of the PoET project, including the final design and specifications, schedule, and operations;
• Discuss the science of PoET and prepare the observation plan, having in mind the impact of the data on exoplanet research, solar physics, and other relevant domains;
• Present the data policy and collaboration agreement.

We are organizing a 2-day workshop with the main goal of discussing:

• The use of the Sun as a proxy for correcting/modelling stellar activity, the role of PoET in this effort and collaborations with other facilities;
• The detailed instrumental design of PoET;
• Building a science community around PoET.